Writing the Goals

The assessment process discussed in Part 2 of this series is vital to knowing what the student wants to do, supports needed, and skills necessary for the student to achieve goals. The assessment process drives goals so be careful not to overlook that step.

The ITP has two types of goals: post secondary and annual.

Post secondary goals are what the student hopes to achieve after aging out of the school system. They are long term goals.

Annual goals are commonly known as IEP goals. They form building blocks necessary in reaching post secondary goals.

Write post secondary goals prior to annual IEP goals. Post secondary goals will focus on further education/training, living skills, and employment. To create post secondary goals, use results from the assessments and answer questions similar to the below:

What productive activities are realistic and of interest to the student? Where can these activities be done now?

Where and how is the student going to continue to learn and/or develop skills after graduation?

How good are your goals? Ask these questions:

Do the post secondary goals cover education/training, employment, and living skills?

Are goals updated annually?

Are transition services in the IEP, including courses of study?

Is interagency collaboration included?

Did the student participate in goal setting?

Are the goals S.M.A.R.T?

Let’s recap

Assessments are done to guide post secondary goals which guide IEP goals and services. All of these things make up the Individualized Transition Plan. The ITP should be continually populated with new assessments, both formal and informal. Goals are student driven, S.M.A.R.T. and pass the above quiz.

Does the ITP you are creating pass our quiz? Yes?

You are now ready for implementation. Part 4 of the ITP series will cover implementation which includes interagency collaboration. Many goals will require outside organizations and service providers not found on the school campus. Establishing the relationships needed for outside services can become complicated and cumbersome and will be discussed next in this series.